Professional Development (writing, organization, project management, self-promotion)

1. “Peak Performance” by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

   This is technically a ‘self-help’ book but it’s not like any other self-help book I’ve ever read. It addresses particular habits that are directly related to productively and mastery of knowledge and tasks. The recommendations are data-driven and are strongly grounded in primary research on human intellectual and physical performance. For example, one of the chapters debunks the fallacy of multi-tasking, or jumping from one project to another to advance multiple projects - according to the book, research shows these individuals report feeling more productive than they actually are, and that focusing on one (or a very small number of priorities) leads to greater average productivity per unit time.

   I recommend ”Peak Performance” for anyone who feels stuck spinning their wheels or overwhelmed with too many things to do.

2. “How to Write A Lot” by Paul J. Silvia

   I believe that writing is something that we continually improve, but many people struggle with the activity of writing and feeling like they do not have enough time to produce manuscripts and proposals. “How to write a lot” discusses several common obstacles and habits that prevent people from…well, writing a lot. Paul Silva offers clear actionable advice to remove those obstacles and to achieve our writing goals. This book helped me let go of the perfectionist in me who wanted to scrutinize every sentence as I wrote them, and to find a more free-flowing habit of writing that produces more volume that can be revised (later).

   I recommend ”How to write a lot” for anyone who might call themselves a ‘slow’ writer and struggles with writing volume per unit time.

3. “30-day Impact Challenge” by Stacey Konkiel

   This is a free ebook and is easily the most actionable resource on this page. It’s meant to be completed in 30-days as the name suggests but I think that’s a little ambitious. There are also a few items that are either out of date (e.g., Twitter is being slowly replaced by BlueSky) or in my opinion are not that useful (e.g., setting up an Academia.edu account…). Nonetheless, this is a great resource for students and post-docs. I have a modified version of this list that I share with my students - feel free to reach out if you’d like a copy of that modified list.

   I recommend ”30-day Impact Challenge” for graduate students in their first year or two.